One of my absolute favorite games of 2008 was Patapon for the PlayStation Portable. I spent over thirty hours grinding my way through the game’s various levels and mini-games. I was such a huge fan that I bought the sequel in Japan fearing that it would never get a North American release. Thankfully for other Patapon fans, Sony heard the calls and has released the game for this part of the world. Once again, we are given an absolutely incredible game that will satisfy fans of the original and still allows newcomers to see what all the hype is about and become fans themselves.

Gameplay

Patapon blends rhythm with real-time strategy. You play as a Deity who these Patapons believe has been brought to them to help them restore their great name and battle various monsters and evil forces. As such, you are there to instruct them during battles by pressing the various buttons on the PSP in rhythm to the music, with each button press acting as drum beat. There are three basic commands or songs that you will perform for them to act: Advance, Attack and Defend. As you progress through the story, you unlock a few more songs and the ability to perform weather related miracles, called Jujus, which can alter the environment, such as bringing rain or wind that can make certain missions necessary and significantly easier to complete.

Each command corresponds to a four button pattern. If you do it properly, the Patapon reply by singing and doing what you asked them to do. If you screw up, they’ll let you know as will the music. Once you manage to do a certain amount of commands you enter Fever Mode. While in Fever Mode, you will be able to use the special chants you’ve unlocked and your characters do significantly more damage. Everything about Patapon 2 is easy to grasp and enjoy. Those who played the original will feel right at home from the moment they start playing while beginners will enjoy the gradual progression of the game’s story that never feels rushed or confusing. 

One of the key issues some gamers had with the original was the focus on grinding. In order to improve your units, you needed certain boss characters to drop items that could be used to create rare units called Rarepons. Often was the case that the best weapons were not dropped or required certain criteria to obtain. Because of that, you had to replay missions a few times to be able to strengthen your units with equipment or obtaining the items necessary to create the best, rare units. Another problem was that unless you had a strategy guide or did some research, you didn’t know what items created those best units. That has changed in Patapon 2 to great results. Here, they have introduced an evolution map which allows you to upgrade and create new units to your liking. This allows for more customization with all units since there are over a dozen different variations for each. You don’t have to simply evolve a character as you can also upgrade current units to increase their stats. This open nature allows for some really impressive and varied looking squads. You will still need to hunt for the required items, but at least you will be able to tell what you’re creating or adjust it if you don’t like the evolution of a particular unit.

The other addition to Patapon 2 is the inclusion of Ad-hoc multiplayer for up to four players. In this mini-game add-on, you get to control your Hero character (a unit you obtain fairly early in the story) and along with your friends battle bosses that you’ve defeated in the story as well as carry a magical egg to the end of the stage. You need to beat the boss within the allotted time and if you do, you are rewarded with a small mini-game. You get points and if you manage to complete the mode, you will once again be rewarded this time with spoils to use in the single-player story. It’s not necessary to play, but the treats do manages to give the game significant extra play. If you’re playing with friends, you will want to take turns hosting this as only the host is rewarded with the prize from the egg.

Patapon 2 is the first major release for the PSP to go strictly download and it signals the eventual announcement of another PSP unit. Those who are afraid to download the game should not fret. The game takes up less than 400mb and the process is easy regardless if you obtain a download code from a store or purchase it online via the PSN Store.

Patapon 2 is just as artistically magnificent as the first game. The game features three new Patapon units and a bevy of fresh bosses; everything that is new is still on par with what was seen in the first. All the characters in the game are drawn black and their interior colors stand out magnificently on top of the varied background environments. The game also flows without a hitch with no slowdown regardless of how many characters and actions are occurring on the screen and nothing ever looks cheap.

The sheer enjoyment of Patapon 2 would not exist if it wasn’t for the music. It doesn’t matter that the chanting of your units is repetitive it never becomes annoying. Their cheers and cries sound fantastic and add to each level. There is plenty of variety in each of the game’s levels that the music will have you tapping your feet and moving your body.

Be prepared to spend a lot of enjoyable hours playing Patapon 2. The total number of missions has doubled and there are plenty of mini games, both returning and new ones, to play on your own. You can easily spend 20 hours and still not be anywhere near finishing the story

 

It’s not hard to see that Patapon 2 is an incredible game that both fans of the first and PSP owners in general should own. I will admit that the multiplayer aspect of the game is the weakest part, but that’s only because it of its limited appeal. Other than that, the game manages to keep everything that was good about the first and build upon it. The addition of the Evolution Map alone will satisfy those who might have been annoyed by the pesky grinding that was required in the last game. If you missed out first time, pick up Patapon 2 and enjoy yourself; it will be twenty dollars well spent.